We are at Eastern Shores and someone left a tent frame on the beach 3 days ago. It is still there. If your county is so concerned about garbage left on the beach, why hasn't the county picked this up?? UNBELIEVABLE!!! Practice what you preach, or tourists are never going to believe you are serious about your clean beaches. I, for one, am appalled that this thing has been here this long. What is the problem??? I would appreciate an answer to this question. I have been visiting this beach for 21 years, and have never seen anything so blatantly ignored. Great job, Sowal, in reinforcing your laws. It isn't the tourons that are stupid, it is your county government. By the way, why have you removed all the garbage collection cans at each condo walkover? Do you not realize that this is going to encourage people who don't care to leave their trash on the beach? You all seem to be going backward in protecting your beautiful beaches. What a shame. This has been our worst visit ever. When coming home from Gulf Place we were followed by a black Cadillac SUV, driven by a mother and her entitled daughter. I followed the speed limit and this woman was up my bumper the whole way. When I approached a pedestrian crosswalk, and the car coming from the opposite direction had stopped, I stopped as well. The spoiled entitled brat leaned over and laid on the horn of her Mother's car. This continued all the way to Grayton Beach. This spoiled teenager continued to lean over and lay on the horn all the way. You people need our dollars to continue to feed your lifestyle, however after 21 years we will be seeking a more friendly, less snobby place to spend our money. I live at the base of the Smoky Mtns. and we would never treat our tourists the way you people do. Enjoy your rich, snotty lifestyle. We are not less than you people, we are more gracious and refined. New money does not equal class.
First, it is unfortunate that you had the experience you did. Many gulf front owners are diligent about keeping their beaches cleaned up, right down to cigarette butts; however, there are also many rentals that are owned by absentee owners that may or may not have an agent paying attention to items left on the beach by renters or the public, or occasionally, an owner
. In spite of the rhetoric about customary use and private beaches, many gulf front owners are sharing their beaches peacefully with respectful beach goers
. If you see something on the beach that needs removal, anyone can notify the rental company for the property (if you are able to identify that from signage, name of property or other means) or Beach Maintenance at 850-267-4578, select option 3 and leave a message if there is no answer.
In terms of garbage cans at walkovers, it is the responsibility of private property owners to provide waste receptacles for their guests at this point. IMO, that should have been the case all along, but it wasn't. I believe our beaches are best served by NOT getting people in the habit of having trash cans all along the beach ON the beach, but rather have them conveniently located at street side exit points for easy pickup by Waste Management (our county garbage collector) or by the Tourist Development Council maintenance personnel when appropriate. All PUBLIC accesses to the beach should still have garbage cans at the street side and possibly on the beach as well. Best practices for beach stabilization and wildlife indicate that driving on the beach should not occur except in circumstances where there is a true need, not just for convenience purposes. Virtually all trash on the beach can be recovered without driving on the beach, particularly if people clean up after themselves. I find the attitude that "I paid $$$$ so I shouldn't have to clean up after myself" an irresponsible one and frankly, people who feel that way are not welcome here by most who live and visit here. The Boy Scouts have a saying "Pack it in, pack it out". Doesn't seem like a difficult concept. If someone takes items to the beach, surely they can take them back off the beach. Many locals and some visitors also walk the beaches routinely with a bag to pick up smaller debris such as plastics, food wrappers, cigarette butts (the #1 trash item that people leave on the beach), pieces of styrofoam and other things that will fit in their bag.
The driving experience you had is frustrating for everyone and growing, much to our dismay. People who are just plain rude (like the one you experienced), too many people for our roads during a considerable portion of the year, and too many drivers that are not focused on driving all contribute to this situation. We have the added issue of more and more people using golf cart type vehicles (SLVs: Street Legal Vehicles) and even similar vehicles that do not meet the guidelines for SLVs (no seat belts, no headlights are particular safety risks). Sorry this is so long, but I thought your concerns deserved some answers. You may want to try coming back in a couple of years and give us another chance. We hope our county government will improve their course on development, infrastructure, and beach rules so that everyone can go back to peaceful coexistence again.
